#52FilmsByWomen: ADVANTAGEOUS

13/52 ADVANTAGEOUS.

This week’s film was a contemplative science fiction story set in a not-too-distant future. It was co-written and directed by Jennifer Phang and co-written by the film’s lead actress, the exquisite Jacqueline Kim.

This film is a perfect example of the feminine point-of-view. It imagines a world where resources are scarce and women must pay a high price for their opportunities by sacrificing their age, appearance and very essence or else face poverty and starvation. One male character notes that it would be better to send women back into the home than to risk numbers of desperate, unemployed men on the streets.

Kim plays a highly skilled executive who is a single mother to a young girl. Her daughter, witnessing the instability of their society, often wonders, “Why am I here? Why am I alive?” In a chilling twist, Kim sacrifices something of vital importance in order to secure a future for her daughter.

It was such a treat to see a film written and directed by women, with a female protagonist over the age of 40 and an Asian woman at that. Phang is a gifted visual filmmaker and there is a dreamlike quality to her work that I find very appealing. Her casting is perfect and the performances are excellent across the board, particularly from Kim–a classically trained actor who I would watch read a cereal box. ADVANTAGEOUS is streaming now on Netflix.